Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst, (Traditional Chinese: 萬錦; archaic French: Haig-du-Comte; 2010 population 1,221,306) is an autonomous country in westcentral of Nicholasland. It is the second most population subdivision of Nicholasland, and is bounded to the north by Concord, south by Periodicity, west by West Nicholas Bay (Pacific Ocean), and east by Pickering. Gravenhurst is dominated by rocky landscapes. Most of the population and human activity are found in the area known as the Golden Corridor, along the basin of Gravenhurst and Archemedes Rivers. The region's capital, Archemedes is also in this area. Etymology The name "Gravenhurst" came from the former Dutch colony of s'Gravenhage in the area. s'Gravenhage is the former name of "Den Hague", the capital of the Netherlands. s'Gravenhage means "The Count's Hedge". History Pre-1600s: Indigenous Population According to historic records, initial settlements in Gravenhurst Region did not begin until at least 1543 BCE. The area is largely rocky and barren, and is considered as undesirable for living in the ancient times. Archaeologists suspect nomadic settlements may have existed from time to time. In the 1500s BCE, the King of the First Kingdom of Nicholasland desired to expand the kingdom's territory. He then offered incentives for the population to resettle and move to the north and to the east. This is the first accounted record of settlement in the region, when the King announces to set up a North Province in the area. However, the population remains to be very low, and mostly comprise of nomadic population. The province is directly under the jurisdiction of the kingdom. 1602-1841: European Colonies In the 1500s, various European powers discovered the continent, and begin to settle in the area. European powers set up trading posts across the region, as with other parts of the kingdom. In 1602, the Western Division began. European settlements across the region stop paying taxes to the kingdom. By the end of the Western Division, the region is divided among three European powers. The three European colonies left significant cultural influences to the kingdom. Dutch: s'Gravenhage In 1598, Dutch Explorer Hogan has explored the continent, and had set up a trading post in what is now De Hogan, on the shores of Source Lake, in hopes of trading with the indigenous population. The Dutch had occupied much of the northeastern parts of the region, and had named it s'Gravenhage. French: La Pacifique Concorde British: Archimedes County 1841-1937: Man Kam Province 1937-1945: Japanese Occupation 1945-1993: Gravenhurst Region 1993-present: Modern Gravenhurst Geography Gravenhurst Region is formally defined as "182 parcels of land northwest of Lake Haldimond", and this definition is entrenched in the constitution. Each of the 182 parcels are about 100 squared kilometer in area, meaning the whole country is about 18,200 squared kilometers in area, which is about the size of the state of Oklahoma. Gravenhurst is geographically separated into two parts, the western portion along West Nicholas Bay, and the eastern interior portion. The eastern interior portion is of a higher elevation than the western portion, and is separated by the Isaac Newton Escarpment in the central parts of the region. Landscape is generally rocky with coniferous forests in many parts of the region. Most of the urban areas of Gravenhurst Region are concentrated in the eastern interior portion, and along the Gravenhurst and Archemedes Rivers basin. The eastern interior parts of Nicholasland includes farmlands across the region, undeveloped areas in the unorganized township, escarpments along the Highway 506 corridor, and lakes and swamps towards the boundary with Pickering County. There are various regional parks and national parks maintained by the Gravenhurst Regional Park Committee (GRPC) and Parks Imaginary (PI) to protect ecologically sensitive and vulnerable areas. Climate Much of Gravenhurst is in the temperate climate zone, with temperatures as low as -20C in the winters and as high as 35C in the summers. Snowfalls are common in many cities in Gravenhurst. However, there are several exceptions to this general climate. Caledonia, for example, which is in the Escarpment Valley, sees a much warmer climate in the winter and a much cooler climate in the summers. Rainfalls are also more plenty in the area. Areas in the south, such as Lydia and Wellesley are experiencing the same types of climate. Though snowfall is rare, there are usually one or two major snow events every winter. Administrative Divisions Normally, each parcel contains one municipality. However, in some cases, a municipality can occupy more than 1 parcel. Such example would be Archemedes, which occupied about 5 parcels. There are 39 incorporated municipalities in Gravenhurst Region as of February 2009, with the biggest being the City of Archemedes with a population of about 316,109. The smallest of all is Gravenhurst, Unorganized, with a population of 0. The Gravenhurst Unorganized township collects all the uninhabited area in Gravenhurst. This unorganized township is shrinking in terms of area as more municipalities are created due to the spread of population to the unorganized area. * Sources: Statistics Imaginary; Statistics and Census Department of Gravenhurst (2010) Metropolitan Areas The autonomous country is subdivided into metropolitan areas, agglomerations, and the Unorganized Region. There are seven metropolitan areas and five agglomerations. Each metropolitan area and agglomeration has its own defined boundaries. These metropolitan areas and agglomerations have certain autonomic rights, in terms of creating social programs (such as healthcare and education), though they are somewhat limited. These areas have a limited autonomic right under the region of Gravenhurst, where the region is also under a high degree of autonomic rights of the Nicholasland. Municipalities may straddle between two or more metropolitan areas and agglomerations. Areas that are not designated as part of a metropolitan area and agglomeration is a part of the Gravenhurst, Unorganized territories. These territories are often uninhabited, or if they are inhabited, they tend to occur in a very scatter fashion that creating a municipality is impossible. Metropolitan areas and agglomerations are named based on their capital city, or more commonly referred to as the base city. This is assigned by the region, and is normally the biggest city in the area. In order for a metropolitan area to be established, the base city must have a population of at least 50,000 (note: this was changed in January 2010. Before 2010, the requirement is that the base city should have a population of 10,000). If the base city fails to comply with the population requirement, then by definition it is named as an agglomeration. However, once an area becomes a metropolitan area, the area cannot return to an agglomeration status. A census agglomeration must have a base city of a population over 1,000. The base city cannot have a legal status as a "township". The creation of a new agglomeration or a new metropolitan area must be approved by the people. By the law, all the citizens must vote upon a creation of a new agglomeration / metropolitan area. A vote results of more than 50% is required for the creation to be successful. However, the upgrade from agglomeration to metropolitan area does not require a public vote. It is decided through the parliament vote. Demographics According to the latest 2010 census by Statistics Imaginary (SI), there are 1,221,306 people residing in Gravenhurst Region, making the region the second most populous administrative division in the kingdom. Over the past century, the region's population tripled. It has emerged to be one of the fastest growing region in the kingdom. Growth has especially accelerated post-war, when peace and order has been re-instated in the kingdom. Recent growth has slowed down due to tighter immigration policy against Mainland China, low birth rates, and a decline in manufacturing industries which has caused a population recession in cities like Manhatten. In 2015, Statistics Imaginary has estimated that there are close to 1,400,000 residents in the region, which represent a growth of over 10% over the past 5 years. Government The Gravenhurst Region has a regional legislature situated at 8 Park Lawn Road in Archemedes. The parliamentary system is modelled after the British Westminster-style parliamentary system, with a representative (MP) per 10,000 people, and a senate representative per municipality (excluding the Unorganized Township). There is a prime minister and a Governor General operating as the head of the government. The regional government is under the jurisdiction of the federal (kingdom) government, with its head being the King of Nicholasland. Economy Gravenhurst is among the most wealthiest nations in the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas. Most of the commercial economic activities take place in Downtown Archemedes, while most of the industrial economic activities take place further north, in the City of Warshaw. Education Post-secondary education in the autonomous country is provided by 3 institutes: * University of Archemedes (UA) * University of Mapleview (UM) * Topsity University (TOPS) Transportation Most the roads in the region is grid-like. There are three classes of roads. The main arteries that connect between urban areas are mostly maintained by the regional government, and are numbered as part of the "Gravenhurst King's Highways System". The major local roads are usually maintained by the local metropolitan area government, and are numbered as "Area Roads". The minor local roads are subsequently locally maintained by each respective municipal governments. Major Highways At-Grade Highways * Highway 1 (Crowfoot Highway, South Archemedes <> Oppel) * Highway 2 (Decommissioned, Wellesley <> Archemedes <> Lethbridge) * Highway 3 (Sydenham <> Donsley <> Welford) * Highway 4 (Sussex <> Lethbridge <> Sydenham <> Vandehogan) * Highway 7 (West Pacific Coastal Highway, Topsity <> Brock) * Highway 9 (Vandehogan Ringway) * Highway 10 (Lydia <> Borden <> Caledonia) * Old Highway 10 (Borden <> Manhatten <> Medicine Hat) * Highway 12 (Lisi <> Manchot) * Highway 15 (Lisi <> Pickering County) Expressways * Airport Expressway (Archemedes) * Jones Creek Expressway (Archemedes) * Lethbridge - Puffleton Link (Lethbridge <> Puffleton) * Lincoln M. Alexander Expressway (Archemedes) * Peace River Expressway (Lisi) * Perimeter Expressway (Under Construction) * River Thames Expressway (Archemedes) * Sussex - Valleydale Ring (Sussex, Valleydale) * Highway 47 (Hydrogen Falls <> Periodic Table Municipality) * Highway 100 (Mapleview <> Nazareth County) -- To be re-assigned as Highway 500. * Highway 505 (Archemedes <> Caledonia <> Mapleview <> Zephyr - Topsity), successor of Highway 5 * Highway 506 (Archemedes <> Lisi <> Pickering County), successor of Highway 6 * Highway 507 (Dundas <> Wellington, under constructions) * Highway 511 (Fort Erie <> Periodic Table Municipality) * Highway 512 (Dundas <> Warshaw) * Highway 519 (Borden <> Manhatten <> Puffleton, under constructions) Air Transportation Most large municipalities across the region has an access to an airfield or an airport. However, most of the region's air traffic is concentrated on Archemedes International Airport, which has 3 passenger terminals, 3 commercial terminals, and 1 industrial terminal. Other busy airfields including the Sussex - Valleydale Airfield, and Manchot Airfield. There are also airfields under construction, including the Mapleview Airfield, Lydia Airfield, Sussex International Airport, Lisi Airfield, and Lethbridge - Warshaw Municipal Airport. Public Transportation Gravenhurst Region has one of the most developed public transportation systems in Nicholasland. The region is served by: * Gravenhurst Regional Transit, which serves the urban areas of the region (except the City of Mapleview and area, City of Topsity - Zephyr and area) with about 200 bus routes. * Mapleview Transit, which serves just the City of Mapleview and its immediate neighbour municipalities. * Topsity Transit Commission (TTC), which serves just the City of Topsity - Zephyr and its immediate neighbour municipalities. * GO Transit, an overland transportation service which serves the region with about 9 train lines, and several bus shuttles across the region. * VIVA, a rapid transit system serving only the city of Vandehogan * The Linx, a subway system serving only Archemedes at this point, but planning to extend to other cities. * GMini, a minibus system serving only Lethbridge, Warshaw, and Archemedes at this point Culture Languages In Gravenhurst, the native speakers are Cantonese, hence Cantonese is the first official language. With more new incomers, English was added to the official language. Also due to a large French speaking population with the amalgamation with Texas County, French was later added to the official language as well. All government service must include all these three languages, while all private public service must include two of these three languages. There are numerous groups of visible minorities who speak a variety of different languages. * Gravenhurst zh:萬錦區 fr:Gravenhurst